For both private and commercial fishing operations, the primary method of immobilizing fish that have been hooked, but that are too large to land with a net or that have an excess of energy, is to use a gaff hook or tail-rope to secure the fish. These methods pose significant risks of injury to people and damage to the equipment involved. By way of example and without limiting the technology, certain species of relatively large fish, such as sharks, tuna, and swordfish, can be difficult to immobilize and often require tools like gaffs and ropes to immobilize the tail or to inflict sufficient injury to the fish such that the fish loses its ability to fight.
Personal injury or equipment damage is a major concern. When large fish are “green” and still loaded with energy, they can damage the boat, or injure a person attempting to land the fish if brought up too soon. One method of dealing with a “green” fish is to create distance between you and the fish by letting the fish swim away with the hook in its mouth, forcing it to expend more energy in multiple rounds of fighting. Unfortunately, this also presents a risk of losing the fish. The longer the fish is in the water, the higher the chance of losing the fish with a split hook, propeller or rudder entanglement, or tangled lines.
One common practice is to gaff hook and then rope (lasso) the fish during the erratic and dangerous display of tail flapping. In some cases, a metal pole with a wire rope arranged in an open lasso position is used. The user is required to maneuver the device around the fish tail (assuming that the fish is not spooked or the target missed during the erratic thrashing). Almost immediately after lassoing, the user is required to cinch the wire rope tight around the base of the fish tail and turn the pole to release the tightened lasso. This is a three-step process that does not resolve the dangers and difficulties of immobilizing fish with lots of energy left or while in rough waters.
Further, existing gaff technology is often harmful to the fish. A hook is stabbed into the fish, which shocks the fish into erratic behavior from rapidly released adrenaline, pain, and blood loss. Not only does the hook damage the meat, it also initiates the release of adrenaline, which also has a negative effect on the taste of the meat.
Gaff hooks also present significant danger to the anglers on the boat, who are handling the extremely sharp 4-8″ hook on a listing boat and slippery deck in a possibly rough seas. Many human injuries occur from this activity. Additionally, the hook can damage the boat while the fish remains at the side of the boat thrashing around and hitting the boat with the large heavy hook now lodged in its body.
A “tail cuff” can be described as an existing gaff hook modified to include two spring loaded metal gates that trap the fish tail, preventing the fish from escaping. The tail cuff presents difficulties for the user, though, because it requires a tricky two step motion: (1) down to position the cuff under the tail, and (2) up, ripping it up to land on the narrowest spot of the tail. A difficult feat in calm seas and with a tired fish, never mind rough seas and a green fish thrashing around. The tail cuff is also often too narrow for many fishtails, such as mako sharks, thresher sharks, swordfish, and generally any other larger variety of fish. Even in cases when the tail fits, with a large tail enclosed the gates are pinned in the open position—preventing the gates from returning to the locked and closed position, rendering the device useless and risking the fish maneuvering out of the device. Without complete gate closure, the device does not immobilize the fish. To release a large tail that does somehow fit, the arms would need to pass back through the fishtail in order to release the device from the tail—resulting in an angler needing to cut the tail off to remove the device for larger fish.
What is needed, therefore, is a device for clamping the tail of a fish that involves a simple engagement motion that can consistently be executed under a variety of conditions. What is also needed is a device for clamping the tail of a fish that can be easily disengaged. What is further needed is a device for clamping the tail of a fish that can safely accommodate fish tails of a variety of sizes.